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Mark Reuss: GM can't afford product 'misses,' has 'thought about' CT6 V-Series

Mark Reuss is a busy man. He oversees General Motors' global product portfolio, an all-encompassing task for a company that sold more than 9.9 million cars and trucks last year. When GM launches a well-received product, like the road-going rocket ship that is the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 – he gets credit. When the company stumbles with the slow-selling Chevy Malibu or grapples with fallout from the decade-old Saturn Ion and its flawed ignition switch, he gets blamed. GM owners, the press and sometimes the federal government, demand answers. Bob Lutz famously held the job before Reuss. So did Mary Barra, who's now GM's chief executive. There's a New GM, but the lineage is connected to a long history. When he's not thinking product, Reuss, an executive vice president, also runs the purchasing and supply chain for the company, which is still one of the largest industrial empires in the world. We caught up with Reuss on the floor of the New York Auto Show, where GM had just rolled out two crucial new products: the 2016 Cadillac CT6 and the 2016 Chevrolet Malibu. Speaking with a small group of reporters, Reuss delved into a variety of subjects, including the new Malibu, Cadillac's future (he thinks the ATS-V is going to "flame the M3 and M4"), and other topics. On fixing the Malibu: "We can't miss. We can't have those kinds of misses [like the previous generation] on our cars and crossovers and trucks. We can't do that. If we do that, we give a reason for someone to go buy something else. It's that simple. "On a car like the Malibu we have a chance to really fix all of that, which we have, and then lead. Then you've got a real opportunity there. So that's what we've really been focused on here – to fix those things." He later added: "We need that car here to transform Chevrolet desperately because it's the heart of the market. And when you think of Chevrolet, people will come back and think about what we did with the [new] Malibu and the Cruze... It's hugely important to us." On Cadillac: "If we go out and try and out-German the Germans, it's probably not going to work. We've got an opportunity here generationally where there's a lot of people younger than me that have parents that drove BMWs and Mercedes, and I think there's an opportunity there for those people to drive something different than what their parents did, and I think that's always been an opportunity in the auto industry if you look at the history of it.

Buick really wants us to know the new Cascada convertible won't leak

Quality testing on the factory floor is nothing to joke about. Automakers need to make sure the work being done is up to snuff, and that means some extensive checks. For Buick, that means using a lot of water for each of its Cascada convertibles. Each vehicle that rolls off the floor is subject to a high-pressure, ten-minute soaking that sprays nearly 20 gallons of water from each nozzle during every bath, just to guarantee the fabric roof hasn't sprung any leaks. For some reason, Buick has chosen to show off this testing with the help of what we imagine is the Gorton's Fisherman's baby cousin. Check out the strange testing video, available up top.

2021 Buick Envision order guide shows $32,995 base price

Based on an early dealer guide Cars Direct got its hands on, the 2021 Buick Envision will bring more to the market than handsome new design inside and out. The 2020 Envision in 1SV and Preferred trims starts at $33,500 plus a $1,195 destination charge, totaling $34,695. The dealer guide shows the 2021 Envision Preferred starting at $32,995 after destination, a $1,700 cut compared to this year's model. The 1SV was also listed in the guide but didn't get a price. A Buick spokesperson confirmed to Cars Direct that the Preferred trim will be the new entry-level, so it appears the 1SV could go away. The two trims are equipped the same as standard, the difference being that Preferred opens up the options menu to features like the Active Package and a powered panoramic moonroof. That pricing puts the 2021 Envision thousands of dollars under of its luxury competitors like the Acura RDX, Audi Q5, Lexus NX, and Lincoln Corsair. The price of the middle Essence trim doesn't change, at $36,995 after destination.   The current Premium trim will be replaced by the Avenir trim. At present, the Premium trim only comes in all-wheel drive, which Buick has changed for the 2021 model year. A 2021 Envision Avenir with front-wheel drive will start at $41,395, which is $500 less than a 2020 Envision Premium with all-wheel drive. Adding power to the rear axle adds $1,800 to the price, the Envision Avenir AWD the most expensive model at $43,195. That's a $1,600 cut compared to the 2020 Envision Premium AWD. The only engine on offer will be a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 230 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, the same engine in the 2021 Envision's E2 platform-mate, the Cadillac XT4. That output falls between the two engines that can be had on the 2020 Envision, either the base 2.5-liter four with 197 hp and 192 lb-ft, or an optional 2.0-liter turbo four with 252 hp and 295 lb-ft.  Related Video: